Being an educator is always hard work. As we enter the third school year impacted by Covid, being an educator is harder than ever. Before the start of the 2021-22 school year, we sat down with a veteran high school history teacher to discuss the upcoming school year. Filled with equal parts optimism and concern for the year ahead, Elizabeth Rasmussen shares the importance of taking charge, engaging in advocacy and being the change she wants to see.

Episode 9 Show Notes:

Guests

Show Resources

Transcript

Guest Elizabeth Rasmussen, History teacher Polk County Resources

Polk Schools have more than 400 openings (Lakeland Ledger) FL Grapples with Record COVID Surge (NBC News) FEA’s Safe Schools Report Florida Has A Critical Shortage Of Teachers. Here’s Why. (WFME, NPR) featuring FEA VP Carole Gauronskas. Why is FL DOE behind on getting billions of federal dollars to schools recovering from COVID pandemic?

Transcript [00:00:00] Announcer: Sharon: You're listening to “Educating from the Heart.” Thank you for joining our lively conversations with teachers, support professionals, parents, and students, as they share issues that matter most in our public schools. Here are your hosts, Tina Dunbar and Luke Flynt.

[00:00:27] Tina Dunbar, Host: Welcome back to “Educating from the Heart,” the Florida Education Association podcast for teachers, support professionals, parents, community leaders and students. Together, we engage in monthly conversations, exploring all aspects of education and the impacts of policy decisions on our students and their schools. I'm Tina Dunbar, and with me is my co-host, Luke Flynt. Hey, Luke!

[00:00:53] Luke Flynt, Host: Hey, Tina.

[00:00:54] Tina: Good to see you again.

[00:00:55] Luke: You too.

[00:00:56] Tina: Well, after our brief summer break, we're back to kickoff season two of “Educating from the Heart.” I am so excited, and I know you are too, because we've got a lot planned for this season.

[00:01:07] Luke: Absolutely, Tina. This season, we're going to talk about everything from teaching accurate history and civics in today's K-12 classrooms, to the attack on academic freedom at Florida's colleges and universities. And, of course, during the legislative session, we will keep everybody updated on what's happening in the State Capitol. But let's back up a bit and talk about this month's episode.

[00:01:31] Tina: Well, Luke, as you know, back in July FEA held its annual professional development gathering called Summer Academy.

It's our largest training for teachers and support professionals from across the state. And it was held in-person and, you know, everybody was looking forward to that. So, we decided to take the podcast on the road. Well, educators generally take advantage of this event and network with their colleagues, and one of the top conversations dealt with the new school year and the unknowns surrounding the virus.

Luke, all school employees, regardless of where they work, had been looking forward to a fresh start this year and a return as close as possible to normal for this school year.

[00:02:16] Luke: We open season two with a high school history teacher from Polk County who has been in the classroom for 14 years and seen a lot of change during that time.

Elizabeth Rasmussen shared her hopes for her students, as well as her fears for what this school year could bring. “Raz” as she is affectionately known, spoke about the importance of unionism and legislative advocacy, but she begins by sharing what inspired her to become a teacher and how her students motivate her to remain in the profession, despite its many challenges.

[00:02:50] Elizabeth R.: When I look back at the reason why I do what I do: It's my kids. It's kids like, and these are pseudonyms, because like Veronica and Juan that I've written about that really inspired me to keep educating, and I'm actually getting a PhD right now. So,